Smith Electric Vehicles Corp, a manufacturer of all-electric commercial vehicles, is expanding its US operations by adding a manufacturing facility in New York State, creating up to 100 new direct local jobs.
A package of city and state incentives of approximately $11 million will augment Smith's private investment.
The new facility will house the manufacture of the zero-emission Newton, an all-electric medium duty vehicle with a range of up to 150 miles and an average annual operating cost one-third to one-half that of conventional diesel trucks with comparable gross vehicle weights (GVWs).
"This expansion reflects an important step in executing Smith's localized assembly, sales and service strategy," commented Bryan Hansel, CEO and chairman of Smith. "Our approach creates jobs, provides Smith customers with more localized support and significantly reduces the costs associated with shipping completed vehicles to our customers.”
Also today, New York Governor Andrew Cuomo announced the development of a federally-funded, multi-year commercial electric vehicle buyer incentive program to accelerate adoption of commercial EVs and allow for strategic fleet conversion throughout New York State.
The New York State Department of Transportation (NYSDOT) has committed $10 million in federal Congestion Mitigation and Air Quality (CMAQ) funding for the first year, which will be offered in the form of vouchers of up to $20,000 per vehicle. The program will be managed by New York State Energy Research and Development Authority (NYSERDA), and will offer voucher incentives to the purchasers of any qualified all-electric vehicle over 10,000 pounds GVW - regardless of manufacturer. The Smith Newton qualifies for this program.
"New York has shown tremendous leadership at the borough, city and state level in paving the way for commercial fleet electrification," said Sam Ori, director of policy for the Electrification Coalition, a nonpartisan, not-for-profit group that promotes deployment of electric vehicles on a mass scale. "This multi-year commercial EV incentive program is a strong example of the state's commitment to accelerate deployment of this technology, which is critical for reducing U.S. oil dependence and enhancing long-term national and economic security."
The new facility – Smith's second US manufacturing, sales and service center – will not affect production or job levels at Smith's headquarters in Kansas City, Missouri. The first Newton vehicles are planned for production in New York in the second half of 2012.
